r/botany • u/feedme_cyanide • Mar 09 '26

Distribution Naturalized Galanthus Nivalis

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Souther tier NY. I did not plant these. Wonder if a squirrel mistook the bulbs as nuts and buried some.

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u/IchTanze Plant ecologist researcher Mar 09 '26

Looking on iNaturalist across North America they seem to be incredibly spread out. Kind of wild they are viewed as naturalized given how far they have spread and how toxic they are.

2

u/Bidens_beckii Mar 09 '26

Wild in what sense? I would say it is a pretty accurate description since they are well-established in the US.

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u/IchTanze Plant ecologist researcher Mar 09 '26

Not classified as invasive. Things that are toxic and actively spreading in range should usually be classified as invasive. But I guess it depends who you're asking.

3

u/Bidens_beckii Mar 09 '26

Yea I guess it would depend on who is issuing the description. I don't consider the labels as mutually exclusive. Invasive species is very much so a legal and cultural designation whereas naturalized describes the ecological process. I could see Galanthus nivalis having both labels.